The Moon
While Earth may be the Homeworld as well as economic and largest population center of mankind, the Moon can be said to be the political capital. As (part of) the moon is the only territory under the direct administration of the Human Domain (that is, no other governing bodies in between), the leaders of the Five Sectors gather here on an irregular basis to decide policy, debate laws, and dispatch ordinances. Thus, the Moon serves as the seat of government. The moon was the first celestial object to be colonized by humans, and thus is a peculiar case among human colonies due to the cultural influence of a bygone Pre-Warp generation of colonists. Today it is primarily populated by the citizens of the Lunar Republic and the various branches and high-ranking servicemen of the Human Domain proper. History The moon has played an important role to goings-on on Earth, influencing to a great extent not only its climate but its cultures. Some speculate that without the Moon's vital gravitation exertion on Earth's tides, life may very well never had a chance. The first sapients to set foot on the moon did so thousands of years ago and were probably of the Ancient Martian Empire. They must have left little to no trace of their presence there, if they indeed went, as later archaeological scrutiny by the Ishamshuk Empire revealed no evidence of Martian appearance on the Moon. However, numerous Martian records stored in Ichtalu's Great Library of the Ancients assert that the Moon was not only explored but also utilized as a Defense Station up until the final Siege of Mars. Finally, long after the Moon had lost any and all significance for other races, Human astronauts set foot on the moon for the first time in A.D. 1969, which became a historic event and is one of the few events from that time to be commonly known and remembered by average humans, even colonials. The landing area of these first baby steps into space remains well-preserved by the moon's airless, static surface, and has been left alone as a Common Heritage Site, drawing historical tourists. At the height of human space exploration in an era before warp drives, the Moon was turned into man's first colony within its home Solar System. This early colony was extremely successful. It became a jumping point for human spacecraft for deeper excursions into the solar system, with leaving the moon's gravitational influence being much easier than leaving Earth's. The people of the moon are strictly divided into two seemingly different world views. The first would be the traditionalists, descendants of the first brave explorers who turned the moon into a colony in the Pre-Warp era. Then are the New Wavers, who are so called because they came long after and settled the moon after a wave of new technology made space life far more convenient and comfortable. By the time of the Colonial Crisis War, there were upwards of 3 million people living on the moon, and it was seen as a very strategic possession in the war. Whoever owned the moon would gain a considerable advantage in orbital engagements, spying efforts, orbit-to-surface bombardments, and logistics. The moon was thus occupied and fought over numerous times by the warring powers, despite the locals declaring themselves neutral. This lead to the creation of the Lunar Militia. Although this army was not in any way capable of facing the increasingly competent militaries of Earth, that was not its primary goal, and indeed rarely did it do so. The militia was created with the vision of ensuring the citizens' safety during occupation. It thus worked closely with the conquering nation, to minimize unneeded incidents between the moon's populace and the occupation force, as well as minimize, where it was practical, civilian casualties caught in the crossfire. It was during the war that the moon and its people developed a sense of heritage and a feeling of being a true, independent nation all its own, rather than a loose dependency of Earth and its various feuding factions. This especially became the case after the aforementioned formation of a military. The moon's claim to independence was at first ignored by the warring powers. However, at length, the moon was formally invited as an observer to the Treaty of Tokyo signings. Excitedly, the newly-declared Lunar Republic prepared a delegation and attended the signings in earnest. The terms of the Treaty of Tokyo created the Human Domain and ended the war, among other things. The new organization (at that time still popularly called the Global Alliance for Space Administration or more commonly the Space Agency) sought land and funds for a headquarters to be built. No Earth-bound country would be suitable, for a multitude of reasons, and very few were willing to devote a significant portion of land and resources to the Agency. The natural first choice was the Lunar Republic, which ultimately agreed to give the Agency sovereign jurisdiction over 900 square kilometers of the moon's surface. This was only true so long as it honored its part of the agreement: the Lunar Republic would be neutral in all interstellar affairs and was not party to any of the Agency's commissions. Essentially, it would be exempt from paying tax, from providing soldiers, and from providing resources. Demographics Military Although the Lunar Republic is officially recognized as neutral, not only in any conflict on Earth but also on an interstellar scheme (at least in human affairs), it nonetheless recognized the need to maintain a self-defense force during its numerous occupations and time as a battlefield in the Colonial Crisis War. One of these occupations, that by the United States, permitted the moon to establish the military but only under strict supervision. The Commitee for the Creation of an Army had planned to raise 6,000 soldiers in two Infantry brigades, but only about 1500 people enlisted in the new army, which became three battalions of 500 soldiers each. This was the new Lunar Militia, today known as the Lunar Defense Forces. Lacking in leadership and starving of equipment, the militia stood only as a token force and a military by name only. Nonetheless, it did an exemplary job at protecting civilians. In two separate battles wherein it fought Earthborne soldiers, the militia managed to hold its own. A big factor was the militia's acclimation to the moon's conditions. After the war, the new Lunar Republic set about reforming the militia into a true army, and in the process not only modernized it, but also created two sub-branches. These were the Lunar Defense Battery and the Lunar Defense Patrol Fleet. During the war, thousands of people had died from space battles taking place in the moon's influence either in deliberate bombardment or incidental stray missiles. Terrified of this ever happening again, due to the chaos it wrought, the Lunar Defense Battery rapidly expanded to be by far the largest branch of the armed forces, with about 315 super-heavy laser cannons active at any one time. The Moon is said to be the most fortified, against aerospace threats, in the entire Human Domain. During the Dark Matter Crisis War, the moon's guns destroyed or cut to submission more than 400 warships of the Tritach Megacorp. which were en route to try and subdue the moon for strategic reasons. This major setback so early in the conflict spelled the end for Tritach's war effort whilst also playing a direct role in ending its long hegemony over astro-political affairs. The Patrol Fleet, the final and smallest branch, operates about 13 starships of Star Cutter caliber and a single Star Frigate, all of imported design. The fleet's main role is law enforcement, such as intercepting smugglers and engaging marauders, operating much like a Coast Guard. Science and Technology Economy Category:Planets